Lonely Nights in Education

I'm sitting in our computer lab waiting for parents that aren't coming. I'm supposed to be sharing our online parent resource and our online course management system as part of our curriculum kick-off. It's sort of an SOL kick off, but we don't use the anachronym SOL anymore ;).

I don't blame them. There aren't that many of them to start with. Part of the issue is lack of involvement. Don't get me wrong, we love that there are probably 25-40 parents with their kids here tonight. Awesome. But what about the others?

But necessity is the mother of invention, or so I've been told. I need parents, I need communication, therefore I need something different. I think that for the next night (which would be a parent conference night) we should do something related to internet literacy. I'd also like to get the kids involved somehow. It's all doable...but it doesn't make the next fifty minutes of my life any less lonely or any more enjoyable!

Education Makes me Tired

My job from day to day could include everything from showing a teacher that the reason their monitor doesn't work is because their monitor isn't plugged in to deciding whether or not a site visit should include one, two or more representatives and how to best broach that with my potential host...It can be exhausting. What can sometimes be deceiving about what I do is that it does sometimes require sitting at my desk. I spent a few hours today on a newsletter and on a distance learning initiative. I had an online meeting using Communicator where it may have looked like I was talking to myself to the average passerby. Work (thankfully) requires that I be out and about but on days like this I struggle with understanding why I'm so tired after spending so much time in one place.

It's a different kind of teaching in what we do as ITRTs and it requires planning, just as planning in the classroom does. But today I felt the zeal start to seep back into my fingertips. I was multi-tasking and keeping it all together. I managed to finish a few things I set out to finish and I created goals to finish other items in the next few days ahead of me. It is a lot like being a classroom teacher, there are just different types of items to juggle.

I also have to apologize for the blatant sarcasm in the previous post. I felt it, I meant it and please note that I did include Education in the title of this post. Oh-somebody called me a socialist today for my political tendencies...hmph. I wonder if they'll still want help with their SMART Board tomorrow? :) LOL

Education Education Education

Perhaps if I throw the word education in the title and sporadically throughout the posting then I will escape the filter for a few more days. Education is the reason for the season. Education spurs off fun words like educators and educational and even edutopia. Perhaps the remainder of my postings will be more conscious of the use of the word education. I wouldn't want any of my readers to miss out on the connections between my thoughts and education. They are almost all about EDUCATION even if the title hasn't included the word in the past. I will carefully consider each title in the future to make sure that I reference education. I wouldn't want to stray too far away from the purpose of this educator's blog. Perhaps I should change the title to Something about Education to Share!

But most importantly, perhaps I shouldn't rant and just be okay with the fact that my educational blog has been unblocked. I'm thrilled. Now if I only had more time to share my educational thoughts in my blog...

My Blog is Blocked

Today my blog is blocked at school. GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Intimidation and Change

This afternoon I went with my husband out to Pendleton Golf Course to ride along as he played nine holes of golf. He was insistent that I try swinging a few golf clubs and I was quite insistent that I NOT try swinging a few golf clubs. I won :) mainly b/c he was supposed to take me shopping today and he didn't...but my reasons for not trying it out are 1) fear of failure and 2) intimidation. Last time he tried to teach me, he laughed at me and I ended up crying and quiting. (I'm hyper sensitive.) So as I looked at the other people at the driving range and then at him, I definitely wasn't inspired to change my current knowledge of my golf swing. I like riding in the golf cart and watching the occasional PGA event on tv. It doesn't cost us loads of money (golf is an expensive sport) and Stephen has something he can enjoy without me. But if I weigh the overall pros and cons of learning versus not learning to play golf, I have to say that I'm going to lose this battle eventually. So is it fear of change? Or am I intimidated by a daunting new skill? Or afraid of failure?
It seems that I have to look back at what I have already written regarding change and progress and start expanding my approach towards the teachers I work with.
Here's to a new school year!

A driving experience

To get away from technology integration for just a few minutes...Yesterday I went with my husband up to Summit Point, WV for the Audi Driving Experience. It was FUN! I didn't think I would spend the day enjoying myself. I thought I was there for moral support and a person to keep him from driving up there alone. WELL! I was wrong. Stephen had the opportunity to drive a new 2009 A4 on a track and then do a comparison drive of comparable models from Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes. I could have done the same but I was scared. Something about high speed turning in a car that isn't mine just gave me a nervous tummy. BUT I did get to ride with the instructor in the lead car and that was uber fun! I got to ride along as he instructed the drivers behind us (including Stephen) in navigating the turns and looking ahead/anticipating the ride and staying together, etc...and while he did that, he managed to drive the super beautiful Audi S5, hold the radio he was using to instruct, listen to a second radio from a control point that connected all of the instructors, and maintain an interesting conversation with me. Talk about multi-tasking! Matt, the multi-tasking instructor, is a rally car driver with a calm driving demeanor and a good sense of humor. We managed to get a laugh about how our jobs are similar in teaching adults about new things and how 'interesting' that can be! It was very fun. I'll share a picture and links later but it was very very fun. Did I mention that I had fun? And if you think I had fun, you should talk to my husband. He had LOTs of fun, excepting the fact that his wife was in the car with a cool Audi instructor just one car ahead! LOL :)

Relaxing

Yesterday a co-worker told me that it seems like I've been at work every day this summer. :) I haven't been there every day, but I will say that I have been working a bit in the past few weeks. I've learned that I've got to do a better job with planning out my summer work. My brain has taken a vacation even if my body has not.
It's been difficult for me to focus. I don't know that a vacation away would cure me of my brain's holiday! In the meantime...I just found the muppets on YouTube. Gotta love Beaker! Enjoy!